Punjab builds toilets for 33 lakh rural families

Chandigarh, June 16 (IANS) The Punjab government has built toilets for 33 lakh rural families as the state aims to become the first in India to be free from open defecation.

“The Punjab government has constructed toilets for 33 lakh rural families under the ambitious Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, which has elimination of open defecation as one of its objectives,” a state government spokesman said here.

The toilets have been constructed with a budget of Rs.937 crore.

He said the remaining 7.92 lakh families would be covered in the next three years.

The spokesman said people are being encouraged to contribute for construction of toilets.

The state government is targeting the October 2017 deadline for providing toilets in all households in the state. Punjab has a population of 2.8 crore. The agrarian state has over 12,000 villages.